


Burn

by SuperiorJello



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Achievement City, Fake AH Crew, M/M, Multi, Ryan goes dark, Warning: there's puke in the first chapter, i dunno, theater kid Ryan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2018-12-15 13:25:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11806872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperiorJello/pseuds/SuperiorJello
Summary: When Ryan attends a Halloween party that the Fakes happen to be heisting, it awakens a darkness within him. They can appreciate his newfound joy for violence- probably because they enjoy the blood and the chaos just as much. And is his old life worth holding on to? Probably not. But he comes at a pivotal time for the Fake AH crew- Ray is leaving, and Ryan isn't the only new guy. Jeremy Dooley is new to the team too, and he and Ryan hit it off. What'll happen? Who knows, because I haven't really done an outline and am just writing as it comes to me.





	1. Of Masks and Men

_My life sucks._ Ryan Haywood thinks as he sits loosely on a couch in the dark in the middle of a strangers living room as loud music plays and people dance and talk around him. _It's always sucked_.

He had passively followed wherever the current had taken him- a high school drama class lead him into to a college theatre program and upon graduation he had ended up at a quiet job in a coffee shop that he had never even liked, but a friend of a friend was quitting and didn't he need the money? Recently he had acted in a couple small theatre productions- nothing big, but they had gotten him scouted for a commercial. Thinking about it now, no one had actually told him what it was for. _Huh. Slightly worrying. Oh well._  Someone on the crew at the commercial later asked him to come out to a modelling photo shoot, which had led to a folder of pictures on his computer full of his somewhat wavy light brown hair and shots with his dull blue eyes staring slightly off-frame that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with. But more importantly, it had gotten him an invite to the Halloween party he was currently much too drunk at.

No one here likes his costume. He has been ignored from the moment he walked into this stupid party. He's not exactly blaming them though- not even he likes his costume. He had planned a group couple-y thing with his girlfriend, but she was his ex-girlfriend as of 4 hours ago, so he had been left with half a costume to pull off and no motivation to do it well. Poorly-done punk-rock beast from Beauty and the Beast just maks him look like a half-drowned Teen Wolf- being drunk as hell probably doesn’t help, but he's also well past the point of caring what he looks like- a definite plus. Idly he scratches at his neck. His old leather jacket was usually comfortable, but the frilly dress shirt She had talked him into getting all those weeks ago itches like crazy. He sighs.

He was slumped into the corner of a rather squishy leather couch in the middle of a huge room full of people he doesn’t know, who are all getting progressively drunker and doing the things that normal people do while exceedingly drunk at parties. Which means he is very much beginning to regret coming. The only reason he still forced himself here after everything was that the person who was hosting the event was one of those people who are filthy rich and like to spend some of their money on producing videos as a way to “give back to the community”. While Ryan is quite aware that that is mostly a way to get a taste of fame and talent without actually having any, he had been hoping to rub elbows or somehow get into the sights of someone who would cast him in something bigger than a commercial, but he has long since given up on it being that kind of party.

This is emphasised by a drunk Betty Boop trying to brace herself against the onslaught of an equally drunk ear of corn making an attempt at eating her face with his tongue. They bump into the back of the couch, and as she blindly gropes behind herself for balance she instead grabs Ryan’s face, effectively ruining the stage make-up that was beginning to melt off anyways. She doesn’t even apologise, just goes back to pawing at the corn costume- now leaving steaks of greasepaint wherever she touches.

“Fuck this.” He mutters to himself, clawing his way out of the too-soft cushions and heading towards the bathroom. The room seems to spin around him as he weaves his way through the crowd of partiers, vape and pot smoke drifting cloyingly through the air and turning the room into a hellish dreamscape as bright lights from the DJ station illuminate the clouds in random neon patterns. He can feel the pulsating music thrumming right through his bones, and he is incredibly pleased he had thought to wear a pair of earplugs- good hearing doesn’t last forever, especially with the way they blast music at parties and concerts these days. He means to keep his as long as possible. What was the phrase the kids are using these days?

“I mean, YOLO, right?” A kid in a purple hoodie and a white skull mask says nearby, elbowing another kid in a matching mask and a dress shirt standing next to him who squawks like a bird at the contact. Ryan barely hears this- the aforementioned earplugs thankfully protecting him from the shrill sounds. He does snort at the lazy costumes- they look more like something you’d use to rob a convenience store than a Halloween costume. Kids these days. He shakes his head, then has to pause to lessen the spinning. It doesn’t work. Before he knows what is happening a glob of vomit comes rushing out of his mouth and lands on bird-noises shoe, causing the squawking to increase in volume with additional cries of ‘Ray, get it off!’ in a British accent. Rushing now with a hand clamped over his mouth, Ryan pushes his way through the crowd to the open bathroom door and kicks it closed behind himself before not-so gracefully emptying his stomach into the toilet.

Simultaneously, chaos breaks out in the entire house as the Fake AH Crew blows the doors on the hidden safe in the master bedroom and opens fire on the partiers.

Of course, Ryan doesn’t hear this, as he is retching loudly enough to hide any noises the earplugs don’t already cover. He flushes, then rinses his mouth out at the sink, staring at himself in the mirror. His eyes are even more dull than usual and have dark rings around them, somehow exacerbated by the smeared stage makeup and made more sinister by the fake bloodstains ringing the reflective surface as decoration for the party. Puking had cleared his head a little- though he drinks some water from the tap to help stave off a hangover later- of course with his current luck, he will probably have to call in sick anyways. __I mean YOLO, right?__ He thinks to himself, echoing the words of the kid earlier. Then he groans as he realizes he had thrown up on some random kid’s shoes. He hopes no one remembers that particular event tomorrow or, ideally, ever. Thank god he's wearing a costume.

Sighing, he takes inventory of himself. The terrible fake sideburns he had worn were oily messes at this point, so he tears them off and tosses them in the trash. He's almost done removing the fake claws he had glued to his nails before he notices there is someone passed out in the bathtub. He takes one look at the black rubber skull mask they have lying next to them and is already decided on his next course of action. Quickly he shucks off his leather jacket and pulls his itchy, frilly white dress shirt with silly, poofy sleeves over his head, revealing the thin t-shirt he has on underneath and replaces the jacket with a grateful sigh, much more comfortable now. Then he takes the other man’s mask and rinses it out in the sink before placing it on his own head.

There. No way anyone will recognise him now. Pleased with his handiwork, he eases open the door to check if the squawking guy is in sight before making his exit, but is stopped in his tracks at the scene before him. __What.__ His brain freezes along with the rest of him and he has to give it a minute to reboot before he can even properly comprehend what must have happened in the less than 10 minutes he has been in the bathroom. The huge room that had moments ago held a bustling party now instead holds a tableau that most would have found utterly horrifying, but all that Ryan can think to describe it as is _fascinating._

The lights are on, illuminating the partiers clumped in the middle of the room, down on their knees and utterly silent. A handful of bodies lie in various positions on the floor surrounded by pools of blood, a couple of people are still alive and groaning with hands pressed to leaking gunshot wounds. Ryan doubts they will be for long. The DJ stand is still going but it has been turned down and he can barely hear whatever music is playing, so he slowly sneaks his hands up the side of his new mask and pulls his earplugs out. It's some strange choice of polka music, which just lends a surreal tone to the scene.

And above it all is the yelling of the attackers, which Ryan instantly recognises as the Kingpin and Mogar, some of the most infamous members of the Fake AH Crew- the most prominent gang in Achievement City.

 


	2. Fake It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Ryan make it out of the party alive?

_I need to get out of here._ Ryan looks around to see if anyone had spotted him, and then moves his arm up to close the door again. Unfortunately, the movement catches the attention of one of the menacing figures prowling the area, so he pushed to door open instead of closed as they turn towards him. They're short and wearing glaringly bright orange and purple clothes, with a stetson perched over the white skull mask they sport. The skull mask everyone else in the gang is wearing. _I puked on a Fake AH Crewmember. Oh god... what do I... wait! I'm wearing a skull mask!_ Ryan steps forward with his hands up as they point what looks like an assault rifle in his direction.

“Hey man, don’t shoot.” He says as calmly as he can, causing them to stop and tilt their head curiously.

“Jack? I thought you were still outside. What are you doing in here?” Their voice is a light tenor, and obviously confused, but the man perks up at “Jack’s” supposed presence.

Now, Ryan realises that he has a choice to make here. He can either fess up, who he was and how he had been in the bathroom for the event, and get penned with the rest of the party goers. Or he could use this perfectly good opportunity to improv and get out of here. Either way, he's at risk of dying- the Fakes are notorious for killing civilians, be it ‘accidentally’ or otherwise. And at that moment, the reckless, dangerous path just really appeals to him. So he decides to be this Jack person for the moment, who he vaguely remembers from news reports to be the main wheelman for the Fake AH Crew.

“It’s a bathroom. What do you think I was doing?” He asks, raising an eyebrow under the mask, the expression lending the perfect air of droll civility to his tone.

“Dude, the Fakes are crazier than I thought! Using the bathroom in the middle of a heist? Jesus.” The masked man shakes his head, amazement clouding his voice. Ryan's just relieved that the boldly dressed man bought his charade.

“I wouldn’t argue for my sanity right now either.” Ryan says, smiling wryly to himself. “I’ll head back out.” He turns towards where he knows the entrance to be, orange and black streamers guiding the way along the hallway that had led him here a few hours ago. Dropped costume props and mostly empty cups of liquor dot the sticky floor.

“I can’t just let you go alone! You’re not even armed!” The man says, jogging to close the space between them and falling into step with Ryan. Thinking quickly to find a way to get rid of his companion, Ryan notices a plastic handgun among the props in the hall. Moving smoothly, he scoops it up and makes sure to put extra confidence into his voice.

“What do you mean? I’m totally armed.” The man laughs at that and Ryan poses like he's trying out for a Bond film before crossing his arms in an attempt to seem serious. “Besides, there’s some idiot passed out in the bathroom. You should round him up with the others.”

“Yes, sir!” The man says before hurrying back towards the bathroom, and Ryan lets out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding before striding confidently towards the front door. He passes a couple other men with guns in the hall, but they see his confidence, his mask, and the gun in his hand and figure he's meant to be there.

He would have made it out the front door too if bird boy wasn't standing there.

“Oi! You’re the one who barfed on me!” The masked boy says, pointing indignantly. Ryan’s stomach drops. He sees a set of headlights pass by on the street through the glass-paneled doors; freedom is so very close. And yet...

“Uh, I don’t know what you mean?” Ryan tries, shifting to tuck his plastic gun into the back of his waistband. It wouldn’t do for bird boy to realise it's fake. _Heh. Fake gun for the Fake AH Crew._

Bird boy pulls a gun on him anyway.

“ _Hey Gav, what’s going on in there?”_ A tinny voice drifts through the sudden stillness from a small piece of plastic bird boy’s ear. It sounds like the purple hoodie guy. _Gav? Must mean this is Gavin Free then, the Fakes’ Golden Boy._

“Whaddo you mean _what do I mean?_  You’ve got stupid blue and white paint all over a good leather jacket! Also, YOU VOMED ON MY SHOE! Of course I’d notice! Better mask though, the werewolf thing was _not_ working for you.”

“I was supposed to be the beast from Beauty and the Beast but like, punk rock.” Ryan explains, talking to buy himself as much time as he can to come up with a way out.

“That’s even worse!” Gavin exclaims, giggling.

“Yeah, well, I just got dumped, I didn’t exactly care what I looked like, just that there was free booze when I got here.” He admits, though he quickly has to push a wave of melancholy away.

“Oh, dude that’s rough. Sorry.”

“Yeah, well, sorry for puking on your shoe.”

 _“Well, this is all very touching and all but WHO THE FUCK IS THIS GUY?”_ The tinny voice of purple hoodie- who Ryan strongly suspects to be the AH sniper Ray- once more sounds in the room.

“Okay, not a terrible question. Who are you? And why aren’t you tied up with everyone else?” Gavin asks, gesturing with his gun for Ryan to answer.

“As you should have surmised, I was puking several hours worth of alcohol up in the __loo__.” Ryan explains, drawling the last word out in an approximation of a British accent. “I must have missed the big event. When I came out after stealing myself a better costume, some colour blind kid thought I was Jack. So I went with it.”

“Dude, that’s bloody mental! You saw the Fakes in the building and decided to just __walk out__ while pretending to be __one of them__?” Gavin looks awestruck.

“I don’t really care what you guys are up to, I just wanted to not die.” Ryan says gruffly.

“ _Jeremy wasn’t stupid, you really do sound like Jack.”_ Is Ray’s contribution.  _Too bad it didn't get him past Gavin..._

“Whoa! Grand idea! I’m bringing you out to Jack. He’s going to love you! You’re his voice-twin!”

 _“Gavin, that’s a stupid plan. We’re in the middle of a heist!”_ Ray tinnily argues from Gavin’s earpiece.

“Nope! It’s the best plan. I’m doing it. C’mon- hmm… I don’t actually know your name." Gavin stumbles, and Ryan sighs. So much for staying anonymous.

 _“You left that out after us, you know, asking who you were_.” Ray points out bluntly.

Behind his skull mask, Ryan lets out a sigh. If he lies and they found out later it will probably be bad. So truth it is.

“Ryan. My name is Ryan.”


	3. Make It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the crew, and then get chased by cops. You know, a normal day in Achievement City.

They leave the house side by side, Gavin chattering away to both him and Ray. The gravel crunches beneath his boots. They approach a decked-out minivan parked partially on the sidewalk, the Fakes attempt at being incognito, probably. They’ve never been known for subtlety- as the logo printed on the hood attests. Ryan gives a last longing look at the freedom of the busy road a street over before being poked into the back seat of the van by Gavin.

The customary middle seats are missing, replaced by two large black duffel bags, supposedly full of weapons and ammo.

“What- why are you here Gavin? Who is th-” Jack sputters from the drivers seat. Ryan can see how there had been the mix-up, voice wise, but though scarily close, Jack’s voice isn’t an exact match for his. At least with the mask the driver wears, it’s understandable they were confused.

“Jack! This is Ryan! He sounds just like you!” Gavin squawks from beside Ryan.

“Hello. Gavin decided I needed to meet you.” Ryan rolls his eyes from behind the mask, making Jack chuckle a little.

“ _Yeah, and he’s a fucking idiot- he left the door unwatched-_ ” Ray buzzes from the com unit Gav carries, and Jack hits a button on the dash, bringing up coms on the in-vehicle system.

“It’s fine, everyone’s tied up anyways-” Gavin starts.

“ _Ryan got loose!_ ” Ray insists.

“I was in the bathroom, and I sent Jeremy to get the other guy who was passed out in there.” Ryan explains to Jack, who was looking concerned.

“ _You helped us?_ ” Ray sounds impressed. Upon reflection, it did seem a little insane to help the murderous gang tie up all their victims… Ryan mentally shrugs. It had saved him- for now.

“Kept him from following me out.”

“ _Man, you’re crazy as we are! I changed my mind- Gavin, keep him. You’ll need all the help you can get._ ”

“Keep me… what? I’m an actor! A bad one! I work at a coffee shop… that I hate, but still! I-”

“You walked through a house of criminals by pretending to be one. For laughs. Would have made it too, if I hadn’t noticed the coat.” Gavin points out, not unfairly.

“Yeah, well, I figured my survival chances were 50/50 either way.”

“Fair. Guns are too much fun not to use, right?” Gavin smiles goofily, and Ryan is reminded that these people are killers. But the revulsion that he should be feeling towards such disregard for life just isn’t… there.

Does that mean that he’s bad? Is there something broken in him, or is he just rationalising and compartmentalizing so he can freak out later?

He doesn’t know.

“I’ve never shot a gun.” He replies. “So I wouldn’t know about fun- I’ve heard they’re loud?”

“So Gavin, what’s the plan for your new pet, cause we’re going to need to-”

 _“Red and blue lights coming in FAST!”_ Ray shouts through the coms. _“Someone must have missed a phone!”_

Jack opens up coms to the main channel.

“Police incoming! Geoff, you’d better be ready to leave-”

 _“Fuck my dick! Man, who missed a phone? Whatever, we need to MOVE MOVE MOVE!”_ The man’s voice cracks a few times as he screams at whoever else is in the building. The sirens are in hearing distance now, and getting closer.

“Gavin, we’re gonna need some firepower. Ray-” Jack begins.

 _“Cover your exit, then run. Got it. It’s not my first rodeo- I mean, it’s kinda my last.”_ Ray chuckles. _“Though, not like that. I’m surviving this, I just mean the fact that I’m leaving. Freedom!”_

“You know, that’s what they typically say right before they die. Horrifically.” Ryan points out, getting another chuckle from Ray.

 _“Yeah, well, I promised a girl. And I never make a girl a promise that I can’t keep.”_ He quotes sagely.

“Oh, you play Halo?” Ryan’s finding that these criminals seem more and more like people.

_“Dude yes! We all do! I’m the best, obviously, but it’s like, our favourite game. We have tournaments and everything. Geoff and his old friends literally invented Grifball.”_

“Seriously?”

“Oh, it’s true. I was there.” Jack adds, turning the key in the ignition as a group of people rushes out of the building, several splitting away to a secondary vehicle. The remaining three head for the van. The brightly coloured Jeremy and two others- one in a suit, the other in a brown leather jacket- all in skull masks. They pile in quickly, and Jack peels out of there just as the cops reach the street, luckily at the opposite end to where Jack’s heading.

“WHO THE FUCK IS THIS!?” The man with the crackly voice from the coms earlier yells, pointing at Ryan. The sleeves on his suit are rolled up, and Ryan can see the many tattoos that cover his arms. Geoff, Jack had called him. This must be the Kingpin himself- Geoff Lazer Ramsey. Ryan had always thought the middle name Lazer was cool- as someone who goes by his, he believes middle names are important. And now the Kingpin of the Fake AH Crew is yelling at him. Ryan swallows.

“He’s Ryan!” Gavin explains brightly. “And he sounds just like Jack!”

“God DAMN IT GAVIN!” The brown leather guy yells. “WE DON’T HAVE THE TIME FOR ANOTHER FUCKING PET! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! No offence, dude. COME ON GAVIN!” Ryan figures this is Mogar, aka Michael Jones. It’s probably a safe guess.

“I’m not a pet, I’m just an ex-theatre kid who came to the wrong party-”

 _“And kicked ass! He tried just walking out the front door!”_ Ray’s voice comes from the van speakers.

“He made me think he was Jack!” Jeremy says, eyes widening in realisation. “You walked right past me!”

“Would’ve made it too, only he vommed on my shoe during the party so I recognised his coat-”

“That was not my fault! I was dealing with a breakup by imbibing copious amounts of alcohol!”

“How is that not your fault!?” Michael asks, exasperated but amused.

“Shut up! I needed to mourn!” Ryan shouts.

“Looking like a soggy werewolf!” Gavin squeals triumphantly.

“I was punk rock Beast! From Beauty and the Beast!”

“Seriously? I need pictures.” Michael chuckles. “It’s gotta be terrible!”

“Fuck you!” Ryan snaps.

“Go fuck yourself! Sideways! Michael replies.

“You fuck yourself sideways! With a cactus!” Ryan retorts, then tunes in to what’s happening around him.

Geoff is laughing. Like, full out, lying on the van floor, hugging himself laughing. His mask is discarded, tossed under the front passenger seat, and there are legitimate tears running down his face. And it’s the purest, happiest thing Ryan has ever seen.

They’re also being chased by several cop cars, sirens wailing, and Gavin and Jeremy are bringing out the big guns. Gavin pauses with some sort of rifle looking thing in his hands, then eyes Ryan speculatively.

“Hey, Ryan, want to try shooting a gun?”

It feels to Ryan like time stops right then. The Fake AH Crew- a leading member of the Fakes- is offering him a place. A member of the gang that has caused millions in damage to Achievement City and murdered hundreds- if not thousands. Cops, members of other crews, and civilians alike. The gang that is bantering and joking and who play Halo and…

“More than anything.” He grins, and takes the gun. Not that they can see the smile from behind the mask, but Gavin nods at him anyways.

The minivan has a sunroof. Jack pops it open from the front console. Wind whips through the interior as Michael also opens the front passenger window and Gavin the rear drivers side. Geoff gives Ryan a hand up before he can steady himself against the roof edge, and shows him how to steady the SMG against his shoulder before removing the safety and shouting at Ryan-

“JUST POINT AND SHOOT, I’LL HELP WITH RELOAD!”

His first few shots go wide, but they give him an idea of the kick, and he braces for it on the next shot. He breathes, in, and out, swaying slightly with the van, in, and out, and aim, and fire, and blood. Blood? He hit someone! He hit a police officer- oh god, he hit a police officer- why is he still shooting? He pulls the trigger, and he breathes and he shoots and the tires on the second car in line go out on one side, and it spins out into a nearby building.

He laughs.

He’s laughing and shooting and nothing NOTHING could stop him now.

Click.

Click click.

Shit, it’s empty.

He ducks back down, and Jeremy takes the empty gun from him and reloads it, while Geoff looks him in the eyes, grinning, and pats him on the back. Ryan pulls off the mask, his matching grin just this side of bloodthirsty.

“Welcome to the crew.” Geoff says. "You’re in.”


End file.
